Truss plates are generally employed to join planks of lumber that form floor and roof trusses used in residential housing. Truss plates typically comprise a backing plate and an array of sharp spike-like impaling members that extend outwardly from the backing plate. Adjacent planks of a truss with coplanar surfaces can be permanently joined by pounding or pressing the backing member of a truss plate so that its impaling members penetrate the planks.
Truss plates are typically packaged in boxes or cartons in no particular order whatsoever; they are simply strewn haphazardly within their container. If the container is emptied or if it is somehow removed or destroyed, the truss plates spill and spread and can be quite hazardous until they are retrieved and restored. As a result, truss plates are generally stored on-site in their packaging cartons until use.
Co-pending and co-assigned U.S. Pat. application Ser. No. 08/232,899 to Black describes a truss plate packaging method and configuration in which truss plates are packaged in unitized bundles. The truss plates are arranged so that their respective backing members are substantially parallel, with the peripheries of the backing members being substantially aligned. The truss plates are then interconnected with some interconnecting means, such as a strap that snugly wraps around the truss plates, to form a unitized bundle. Such a bundle can be conveniently shipped, stored, and handled in the manufacture of trusses.
In spite of these advantages and others discussed in the co-pending and co-assigned patent application referenced hereinabove, the commercial viability of truss plate bundles is somewhat uncertain due to the difficulty and labor expense of assembling such bundles by hand. This operation can be quite time-consuming and requires workers with superior dexterity in both hands. Formation of bundles from individual truss plates requires a number of different operations, each of which should be automated if the production of truss plate bundles is to be commercially viable. The prior art is silent on methods and machinery for carrying out any of these individual steps for truss plate bundle production with automated equipment.
In view of the foregoing, it is an object of the present invention to provide a method for producing truss plate bundles that utilizes automated equipment and thereby reduces the labor costs associated with production.
It is also an object of the present invention to provide an automated apparatus that can produce truss plate bundles.
It is another object of the present invention to provide individual automated stations that can perform the steps needed to produce truss plate bundles with automated equipment.